My bride

Chapter 1

The awaiting bride

Alexander Jackson had never been this sure about anything in his life.

Not his work. Not his wealth.

Only her—Summer.

That evening had to be perfect.

Every detail in the grand hall at Greenwich, London, inside the historic Royal Naval College, was exactly how she wanted it—simple, elegant, and luxurious. It was the place Summer had always dreamed of getting married.

Silver-light chairs were arranged neatly around glass tables, each adorned with flowers at the center. At every corner of the hall stood heart-carved portraits of Jackson and Summer, smiling back at the guests. Jackson had pictured the moment countless times—Summer walking down the aisle, her eyes locked on his, and the instant he would slide the ring onto her finger.

He smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks and glanced around the hall filled with people waiting expectantly. This was supposed to be a new beginning.

But time passed.

The music played.

The guests whispered.

Yet there was no sign of the bride.

Jackson kept glancing at his watch until impatience turned into fear. Unable to wait any longer, he left the hall and rushed to Summer’s hotel room. It was empty. The bridesmaids were gone too. He called her phone—no answer.

His chest tightened.

What if something had happened?

Just as he turned to leave, his phone vibrated. An unknown number. He answered without hesitation.

“Please… just come straight to Blackheath Private Hospital.”

The call ended.

Jackson didn’t think twice. He sped off, his heart pounding violently. As he drove, a painful memory surfaced—Summer was terminally ill. Tears blurred his vision as he prayed silently.

At the hospital, he rushed to the reception and demanded to know where Summer was. He was directed to her room.

With trembling hands, Jackson opened the door.

There she was.

Summer lay motionless on the bed, her eyes closed, her body still. Jackson staggered closer, held her hand, and gently kissed her cheek, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Overwhelmed, he rushed out to find the doctor.

When he finally did, questions poured out of him in panic. The doctor calmed him and assured him that Summer was not dead—only very weak.

Jackson demanded to know what had happened.

The doctor explained that the bridesmaids had rushed her in after she collapsed. She had missed her medication the previous day and hadn’t taken her morning pills either. With a drip and proper rest, she would recover. The doctor even added that the wedding could still go on if they wished.

Jackson took out his phone and quietly called his brother, asking him to cancel the wedding—without explanation.

He returned to Summer’s room.

She was awake.

Jackson pulled a chair close and sat beside her, holding her hand. He told her to be strong, that she would be fine. Tears filled Summer’s eyes as she apologized for skipping her medication and insisted they could still go on with the wedding.

Jackson shook his head gently.

“I already canceled it,” he said softly. “You matter more than any ceremony. We’ll wait until you’re strong again.”

And in that moment, Summer realized—she wasn’t just his bride.

She was his forever.

She smiled and kissed his hands with tears rolling down her cheeks. Jackson assured her that everything will be fyn and she should stay strong for herself.

His phone vibrated again with his brother's name on it- Micheal.

He picked up the call and Micheal asked him why he has cancelled the wedding, but Jackson ends up saying anything rather than hanging up the call.

Summer smiled.

Jackson lowered the phone slowly after the call ended.

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at the blank screen, his jaw tight, his mind louder than the hospital machines around them.

Summer watched him.

Even in her weak state, she could read him better than anyone else. The way his shoulders stiffened. The way he swallowed emotions instead of letting them out. The way he tried to be strong for her even when he was breaking.

“Michael sounded worried, didn’t he?” she asked softly.

Jackson forced a small smile and moved back to her side, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

“He’ll be fine,” he replied. “Everyone will.”

But they both knew that wasn’t true.

The guests would be confused.

The families would be talking.

Rumors would spread.

A wedding canceled without explanation never stayed quiet.

Summer tightened her fingers around his. “I ruined everything,” she whispered.

“No.” His reply was immediate, firm. “Don’t ever say that again.”

Her lips trembled. “All those people… they came because of us.”

“And they will come again,” he said. “Whenever I say the word. Whenever you are ready. Even if it takes a lifetime.”

She looked at him, and the seriousness in his eyes made her breath hitch.

A lifetime.

With her condition, the word felt heavy, almost impossible, yet Jackson spoke it like a promise already written in stone.

“Why do you love me this much?” she asked, voice fragile.

Jackson let out a quiet breath, then pressed his forehead gently against her hand. “Because it has always been you, Summer. Before the money, before the family expectations, before everything. It was you.”

Tears slipped from the corner of her eyes again.

The heart monitor beside her beeped steadily, almost like it was trying to keep rhythm with the emotions in the room.

“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“I know,” he replied.

“What if I don’t get better?”

He lifted his head sharply, his expression darkening with determination. “You will.”

“But what if—”

“You will,” he repeated, this time more firmly, as if refusing to let fate interrupt.

He kissed her knuckles.

“I’ll search everywhere. I’ll talk to the best doctors. I’ll spend everything I have if I need to. I’m not losing you.”

Summer gave a weak laugh. “You sound stubborn.”

“I am,” he answered. “Especially when it comes to you.”

Silence settled between them, but it wasn’t empty. It was full—of love, fear, hope, and the unspoken understanding that time was precious.

After a while, Summer shifted slightly on the bed. The movement alone made Jackson stand up quickly.

“Easy,” he said.

“I just want you closer.”

He didn’t hesitate. He carefully adjusted himself beside her, mindful of the wires and drip, wrapping an arm gently around her shoulders. She rested her head against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart.

Strong.

Alive.

Fighting for her.

“I like it here,” she murmured.

“Good,” he said, pressing a kiss into her hair. “Because I’m not moving.”

Minutes passed.

Or maybe hours.

Neither of them cared.

For the first time since the chaos began, the world outside that hospital room didn’t matter.

No disappointed guests.

No angry parents.

No expectations.

Just them.

Summer traced lazy circles on his palm. “When we finally get married,” she said quietly, “I might cry all through the ceremony.”

Jackson smiled. “I’ll cry more.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Try me.”

She giggled softly, and the sound warmed him in places fear had lived earlier.

Her breathing slowly became even.

Jackson looked down.

She had fallen asleep.

Again.

But this time, she looked peaceful.

He studied her face like it was art, memorizing every detail, afraid that one day memory might be all he would have left.

“No,” he whispered to himself. “I won’t let that happen.”

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, my bride,” he murmured.

Outside, footsteps passed, nurses talked, life continued.

Inside, a man sat holding the woman he loved, silently declaring war against anything that tried to take her away.

And somewhere deep in his heart, Jackson knew

This was only the beginning of the fight.